The room was filled with dust. Debris and pieces of shattered furniture lay scattered across the floor.
"Hahahaha! That was fun, you lit-tle brat! But there's nothing left to throw. So, could you do me a favor and die now?" Freed, who had dodged every attack, mocked Koneko. "What's wrong, you pissed-off little shit? You wanna kill me? Come on, come on, try it! Hahahaha!"
The girl's eyes burned with fury. She knew that if she landed even one solid hit, that lunatic would be done for—but the bastard was too damn slippery.
"Buchou, should I join in? It'd be such a pleasure to fry him crispy and shut that filthy mouth," Akeno said, sparks of lightning starting to dance in her hands.
Rias hesitated for a moment. Her initial plan had been to simply retrieve Issei, but after seeing Daniel with Asia, she changed her mind.
"Let's finish this quickly, Akeno."
The dark-haired woman nodded and unleashed her magic toward the priest. Freed dodged awkwardly—this time, it wasn't as easy for him. Still, he didn't stop laughing.
"Hahahaha! That's it! Fuck yeah! Let's try to kill each other, onee-san! Kyaaaak, this is so damn exciting!" His gun fired again toward Akeno as he clumsily avoided both her lightning strikes and Koneko's attacks.
Akeno looked at him in disgust, raising a magical barrier to block the bullets.
"Fiendish Chain."
Daniel's cold voice cut through the priest's laughter. Black chains burst from nowhere, wrapping tightly around Freed's body.
"What the fuck—? Where did—?! Guoagh!"
Paralyzed, Freed couldn't dodge Koneko's punch, which sent him flying across the room and crashing through a wall, smashing it completely.
Daniel, who had already activated his Duel Disk, kept comforting Asia without lifting his head. With his other hand, he placed a card down, and a gray mist began to take shape.
It was Ancient Gear Wyvern. The metallic creature hunched its body to move in the confined space, then lunged toward where Freed had fallen.
Daniel hesitated for a moment, then pulled Asia tightly into his chest and covered her ears.
Soon, the screeching, mechanical sound of chewing mixed with Freed's screams and curses filled the room.
Rias turned her gaze toward Daniel, while Koneko watched him with concern. Akeno, on the other hand, smiled faintly—her expression unreadable.
---
Daniel listened to the screams, lost in confusion. Though he had acted brutally and decisively, he didn't feel right.
He had killed stray devils before, but he had underestimated what it felt like to take a human life.
Was it because he himself had been human until recently? Or because, unlike those grotesque strays, the priest had still looked human?
He didn't know. He couldn't understand what he was feeling—remorse? Anger?
Why had he gotten so furious in the first place?
Issei had been injured too, and yet Daniel hadn't felt this same rage.
Why was Asia different?
The metallic sound of the Wyvern snapped him out of his thoughts—it seemed to be "finished."
Daniel looked up and saw the creature slowly approaching. But when his eyes landed on the bloodied maw of the wyvern, a wave of nausea hit him. His stomach churned, and he fought the urge to retch.
Asia, still pressed against his chest, lifted her head in worry.
Daniel swallowed hard, sighed, and shook his head, trying to calm himself.
"Nothing happened… don't worry. Do you feel better now?" he asked softly, as the blonde tried to grasp what had just occurred.
"…Father Freed… he…?"
"…I don't think he'll hurt anyone ever again."
Asia's eyes glistened with conflicted tears. She wasn't stupid—she understood what had happened. Her expression shifted, but in the end, she bit her lip and buried her face back into his chest.
Daniel hesitated, then gently hugged her, patting her back softly as he deactivated the Duel Disk. He didn't want to look at the wyvern anymore; the sight unsettled him.
Akeno watched them with a smile, resting her hand against her cheek.
Koneko, meanwhile, glanced between Daniel and Asia—her usually blank face showing flickers of doubt and sadness.
Akeno's smiling expression suddenly changed.
"Buchou, I've detected the presence of Fallen Angels. They're heading this way. Should we retreat?"
Rias, who had also been watching Daniel and Asia, hesitated. She didn't want to leave that sweet girl behind—but her servants came first.
"Daniel, we need to go," she ordered, signaling Akeno to prepare the teleportation spell.
"Senpai, I can't leave her like this," he replied firmly.
"Issei's wounded. We have to return and heal him."
Daniel hesitated for a few seconds, then reacted suddenly.
"That's great!" he exclaimed.
Rias blinked in confusion.
"Great? Issei's unconscious and bleeding out."
Daniel shook his head quickly.
"No, no, that's bad—but it could be good, I mean—" he lowered his voice, turning to Asia, who still clung to him. "Asia, can you heal Issei?"
The girl immediately lifted her head, let go of Daniel, and ran toward where the brown-haired boy lay.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I forgot you were hurt, Issei-san."
A ring appeared on her hand, and a soft green light enveloped Issei's wounds, which began to close little by little.
Rias watched closely, intrigued. Daniel's explanation of Asia's abilities had confused her—his references to RPGs and video game mechanics had made her think it was some form of holy magic, potentially harmful to devils.
"Fortunately, it's a Sacred Gear," Rias murmured. "Even if she's reincarnated, she won't lose that ability."
Now certain, she gave a determined order:
"Akeno, get ready to fight. We're not leaving without this lovely nun."
The redhead was furious. The Fallen Angels had injured her servants, killed contractors within her territory, and crossed far too many lines. If they wanted war, she would gladly give them one.
As for diplomacy between factions—she couldn't care less. She had the upper hand. They had been the ones to cause destruction first, and as heir to House Gremory, she wouldn't allow any further insult to her domain.
Besides, she felt genuine pity for the blonde girl.
"I'm a devil, not a monster…" she thought, watching Daniel as he gently comforted Asia.